6 — Asmodeus

Seraph found himself in a chatted battlefield, surrounded by corpses with the stench of Death and rust.

"I wanna dip, forget that armored guy!"

His instincts screamed that something important was happening, but his mind did not care. Why the hell should he care, after all? He would just end up like that armored thing.

However, a sharp, enraged voice cut through his thoughts, making Seraph shift his gaze to it.

Above the charred battlefield, there stood many beings just like the corpse he had found in the forest. However...

'Why there's so many!?'

Yes, they easily numbered in the hundreds. Though most were smaller than the one at the forest, their sheer numbers made Seraph open his mouth wide in shock.

Their auras were overwhelming, spreading for miles without faltering. It felt like they could end the world with a finger, not to mention his ordinary life.

And the voice came from the one at the front.

'It's the same guy!'

"You cad, you filthy snake! How dare you bring that monster here and defile this sacred place!? I shall plunge you the ninth layer of hell where you should be, damned dog! You shall die today!"

The angered be voice came from the very same being he had found dead in the forest, but now it shone like a star crossing the dark sky. The being was even more glorious alive.

The being got its answer from the ground, and Seraph immediately followed suit with his gaze.

Seraph and the man were but a few meters away, yet he had not noticed its presence until now. The man's aura blended with the background, making him seem inexistent if one did not look at him.

His voice did not carry a hint of anger — in fact, Seraph could sense a glimpse of... Worry?

"Hah, you amuse me, Andriel! If you're aiming for my life, bring a million more of these mindless slaves and a Titan, otherwise you will fall here!"

The man's voice emanated confidence, but that hint of worry crept into Seraph's mind like a snake. He could feel the man was in a rush, but could not show fear in the eyes of the angels.

'Fear?'

"That thing will arrive soon, and not even your revered Michael will be able to save you from it! Run, Andriel, if you value your foolish life!"

"Or follow me and live."

A third voice echoed throughout the battlefield. It was not strong, nor sharp, yet all was silenced by it. Just like the man from before, the third being's presence was camouflaged, but to a much higher level.

Seraph's eyes were attracted to it instantly, and he was unable to move his gaze.

The being did three steps, advancing to stand in front of the man from before.

"Stand down, Atrathe. I will take it from here."

Seraph could not believe that the man named Atrathe would stand down just like that, considering his previous unwavering confidence. Yet, Atrathe backed out, as if he was unable to confront the man in front.

Even the angel named Andriel flinched, retreating a few steps and almost hitting his subordinate in the back.

"A-Asmodeus..." Its voice was filled with fear, but after taking a deep glance at its followers, Andriel mustered up all the confidence it could to talk back. "Leave this place, monster! You do not belong here!"

Asmodeus smiled, sending chills down Seraph's spine.

"Leave? I am here to save your filthy species, angel. If I leave now, your realm will disappear in an instant."

Instinctively, Seraph approached Asmodeus, trying to look closer. He gave one step, then retreated ten more.

'His eyes...!'

Asmodeus' eyes shone like flames, and surrouding its pupils, magic circles were forming and reforming hundreds of times in a single second.

'He is casting such ancient magic, so quickly...!'

A grin made its way to Seraph's face.

And as if responding to it, Asmodeus' smile widened.

"Y-You...!" Andriel's voice was trembling, and its body threatened to fall from the sky at any moment.

Asmodeus chuckled, amused at the angel's reaction.

"I am a Titan, Little An. You cannot defeat me. In fact..."

Seraph shuddered.

Inside Asmodeus' right eye, three magic circles overlapped, manifesting behind his back.

It was all too fast.

In an instant, eighty percent of the angel army disappeared from the sky with a blast of light.

In the next instant, Asmodeus stood beside Andriel in the sky, slowly patting its shoulder.

"You cannot see me."

Andriel withdrew a blade from its left arm, slashing in Asmodeus' direction desperately.

However, he was now standing by its back, grinnining.

"You cannot touch me."

Andriel trying to make handsigns, a gesture all too familiar to Seraph.

'He's trying to connect to the Spectrum!'

However, the angel's hand froze in place, trembling. Its armored fingers twisted in an unnatural way, and soon after, its hand exploded.

Asmodeus disappeared, so the azure blood of the creature did not touch him.

"And don't even think about using lowly magic in my presence."

His voice came from above, making Andriel lift its head.

Soon, a downward kick hit its helmet, smashing the angel into the ground.

Asmodeus' feet lightly touched the ground, and he walked slowly back to Atrathe, who stood stunned watching the scene unfold.

Yet, he did not stop at Atrathe. Asmodeus passed right through him.

The Titan stood in front of the astonished Seraph, staring at him with a grin on his face.

Then, he turned to look at Andriel, who was struggling to get up.

"Yeah, forget about joining me. I don't need weaklings in my army," Asmodeus' grin quickly disappeared, and he turned to look at the sky. "It's coming. You should run back to my little brother while you can, Little An. Or die here."

Seraph followed Asmodeus' eyes to the sky, and witnessed something even more incredible.

The sky was cracking. A large fracture was expanding, seemingly about to burst open at any moment.

"It's time to end this."

Asmodeus raised his palms, then clapped two times.

The battlefield disappeared, along with Atrathe and Andriel, leaving only the two of them.

"How did you like my little presentation, Little Seph?"

This time, his voice was gentle, caring. Asmodeus spoke as if talking to a child. Which, well, he was.

"... How did you do that?"

"Meaning?"

"How did you fight like that? It was magic, right!?"

Asmodeus seemed shocked for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Haha! You witness a massacre, and the first thing you think of is how, not why? You're an interesting one, Little Seph!"

"The magic given by me by Akhavella was... Boring. No thought behind it, and the Gold was basically a way to keep my tied to it. I don't like it."

"Akhavella, that grunt of Endraph? Yeah, I can imagine the way a subordinate of that musclehead would ruin magic. Well..."

Once again, multiple magic circles formed and reformed within Asmodeus' eyes. Dozens — no, hundreds of them manifested at his back, filling Seraph's entire field of vision in an instant.

"This...!"

"Yes, this is real magic, kiddo. As my son, you will be able to use it with ease wit—"

"WAIT A FRICKIN' SECOND! YOU'RE MY FATHER!?"

Seraph's shout almost made Asmodeus retreat a few steps.

"F-Father... You-re back with the milk..."

"That's not what I mean! I created you, but not this way!"

"Ah, okay then. I was about to tell you to fuck off for abandoning me for so much time, but guess that's not it. Wait, how did you create me then?"

"First, you will have to learn the truth of this world. Unfortunately, we don't have much time."

Seraph was about to let out a "huh?", but stopped after realizing something.

Asmodeus was disappearing. Similar to the forest from before, his body was withering; starting from the edges, he was fading away.

"You do not have to know everything now, Little Seph. Though you are my son, neither your both or soul can handle the sheer truth of this world."

"Wait! You need to tell me—"

"You are a Titan, Seraph Stell! The Apex of this universe! You can find your own answers, so live your own life!"

"Wait a fuckin' moment, Asmodeus! At least tell me how to get my Spectrum back!"

"You don't need that lowly toy of Akhavella! I will bestow upon you True Magic!"

Asmodeus' body was quickly fading away, becoming mere particles of light.

'I have so many questions, so wait, bastard!'

"Seek what the Akashic doesn't tell, Seraph. Find the Apocrypha, and only then, you will be complete again."

A strong headache crept into Seraph's head, and his vision blurred once again, twisting.

He had only two words to say to this failure of a father.

"Fuck you, Asmodeus!"

Seraph could see Asmodeus grinning in response. A wicked smile, full of madness.

Then, that damned robotic voice reappered, urging Seraph to come back.

[The ritual has failed. Ten thousand years have passed.]

[All gods are dead. The Akashic yearns for new gods!]

[The Titan of Revolution has failed. All Titans are awakening...]

[Awakening the Akashic System. Identifying Soul...]

[Soul identified. Second Generation Titan — Seraph Stell.]

[Akashic System awakened. Freeing Titan Soul...]

[Titan Soul freed.]

"So, I am back..."

Seraph was back to that damned forest.

Except, there was no forest remaining at all.